trailhead

I rode by the trailhead this afternoon. You remember that giant sign that said “Forest Closed To Public Use”? Well, someone (and I don’t have an alibi, so maybe I shouldn’t be posting this, but…) someone has uprooted that sign. It’s lying text down a few feet away. So, I’m wondering if maybe I should make a run at Brown this weekend. If there’s no sign saying it’s closed then it’s open. I don’t have to tell anyone that I know all about the one year forest closure order and that I’ve been checking the fed website every week and that I’ve been stabbing voodoo dolls of Jody Noiron, the Forest Supervisor that signed the order to close Brown.

nice view from this plateau

So I’ve been running in the cross country shoes almost exclusively the last couple weeks - a few 9s and some 3s. I do like them a lot.

They remind me of kung fu shoes. You know those little black slipper-like shoes. They (both) are super light and svelte.

Now when I run I think a lot about that movie “Remo Williams” where there’s some sort of ex- military/cop/CIA guy (or something of some sort – haven’t actually seen the movie since the eighties) that gets super trained by a little martial arts master – you know, the usual one finger push-ups, running around in kung fu shoes, eating a spoonful of food per day, avoiding bullets, etc.

I can’t help but wonder, though, if I’m doing serious damage to my body. It’s strange, how different running feels now. My legs seem to really crave it but my mind has yet to be convinced of this new strategy.

The biggest stress so far has been placed on my calves. They’re just not used to that extra stretch down to the bottom of their range of motion. I’m not concerned about them though. The calves can handle a solid beating. They’re already adjusting to a level where I’m not noticing them with every step.

Of course, now that the calves are paining-down, I’m noticing some of the other things like knees. My knees feel funny. They don’t exactly hurt. They feel like they did when I first rode fixed gear. And, actually, that’s really the perfect analogy to this new form of running. Fixed gear to freewheel. Traditional running shoes to track flats/barefoot. Seemingly identical but so very different.

I think my funny knees are partly due to a combo of running and riding. I’ve been riding quite a bit. Even without Brown (sigh) my weekly average is way up from past years. And this higher mileage combined with slightly different running style is bound to throw a wrench into things.

At some point I should probably take a rest week, but I’m not quite ready for it yet. I really like hanging out on this higher plateau. I can see a lot more places I could go.

Pacific High by Tim Palmer was a really good book. Now I’m just finishing In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan – super good, too. It seems like every book I read now goes into the good books section to the right. Still waiting to borrow Born to Run – it’s super popular at the Library.

the future is arriving by bicycle

Hilary biked to work today!

Eight miles - uphill.

Her goal is to make this a monthly happening. Maybe more… You gotta start somewhere…

When are YOU going to ride?

First Rain

We had the first rain of the season yesterday and through the night. Got off to a solid start with 4.6 centimeters (about 1 and 7/8 inches.)

Hilary and I got in a little mountain time the day before the rains came. Walked up Echo Mtn and felt the first few drops up there. We saw a few deer and pink flowering buckwheat in this small remaining area of unburned wildness.

Then ran down and went to the cozy “Oh, Happy Days” natural food store/ magic veggie kitchen/ place for mountain folk… really nice for lunch on a cool winter-y day…

running out of the box

Just got back from my first run of significant distance in my new cross country shoes. Headed to the Arroyo to find the naturally soft sand and leaf litter. The Arroyo is about two miles from my home so I was a little concerned about the sidewalk and blacktop approach. I considered riding to the Arroyo and then running but that seemed like a bit of a hassle and I knew I’d eventually want to run the whole route directly from home so I just went for it.

The run felt amazing. I little painful at times - especially the last mile of sidewalk at the end of the run – but good overall with some interesting breakthroughs in stride and posture.

I don’t fully understand the mechanics of how this lower heel stride works but it seems to lean my body more forward. This is opposite from what I would assume. There seems to be some sort of counter balancing going on. But that’s good news for me because I’ve always had a weird lean back sort of running style – like Michael Johnson, but without the speed.

I also feel like I can really push off with each step to launch myself forward more effectively. I was trying to take it easy to just get used to things so I didn’t want to sprint anything out but I felt like I suddenly had a lot of potential speed that I’ve been missing for a long time.

At about seven miles, on a long straightaway of asphalt road that often lulls me into a wall of drudgery, I let it open up a bit and it turns out there’s still a little speed left in my legs. It felt really good – like nothing was holding me back. Also at this point I noticed that I was running with my chest a little bit more expanded than normal so that my lungs were really blown wide open providing what seemed like endless air supply. I’m excited to see where this could lead to next.

Of course, there is some potential downside, too. Clearly, there’s a lot more impact, and I don’t know how my body will react to that. Already, I know that my calves got nailed to the wall today and will probably be very sore tomorrow.

It’s amazing to me that a pair of shoes could make so many changes to my running experience right out of the box.

Do these shoes make my butt look big?

Okay, so the new cross country running shoes have arrived. They fit well and they’re super light. I think they’re just what I was looking for to conduct my experiment. It will take a little time to adapt to the new running style. I’ll try to do it slowly while continuing to wear my older shoes for longer runs.

I took them out on a real quickie last night - just up and back the street about a mile. I’m sore in new places. Which I guess is to be expected when trying a new running style while wearing shoes without cushioning and running on a concrete sidewalk. My glutes are sore. I wonder if wearing these shoes a lot will make my butt get big… ha. Can’t wait to try them out on the softer surfaces along the Arroyo.

It feels good to be maximizing my range of motion with a full heel drop. I didn’t really push the speed but it did feel like I had the potential to move pretty quickly. Either the shoes or the technique or both seemed to encourage me to lift my knee up and forward with every stride – a key element to speed, I think.

On a related note, I saw a barefoot runner today. I think that’s the first I’ve ever seen in real life. He was running pretty fast down the sidewalk. Looked very smooth, fluid.

some silver lining

Despite the fact that I’m totally crushed about the Brown Mountain closure, this may be the impetus I needed to explore other areas in the mountains.

As I mentioned before, there are a few trails still open. Today I rode up to Henninger Flats. It’s a very steep ride up the Mount Wilson Toll Road (dirt) (toll free since 1936.) Used the granny gear all the way up. The last time I rode up there was probably about 1995 – on a very young Mindful Mule, of course, which I also rode today – a reunion of sorts.

I only went up about three miles but the dirt road continues up to Mount Wilson – I think another six miles or so. I don’t know yet if it’s open all the way to the top.

Also, I still need to study a few maps, but I think there might be a way to link from Henninger back around through Inspiration Point and down to Echo Mountain.

So, there’s still a few possibilities for running and riding up in the mountains.

Big Enough Font For You?

Note the reflectors too.

Brown Mountain Closure Details

The most recent information I have is that the southern section of the Angeles National Forest (home of Brown Mountain) is closed until September 30, 2010! One whole year! There should be rioting in the streets! This seems impossible… like a really bad dream.

Entering the forest is punishable by a $5000 fine. I’ve heard reports that there are people up there anyway. I don’t see how they could enforce such a large area very well. They probably won’t even try but until I get my black ninja suit I’ll probably have to stay out.

It appears that the Echo Mtn trail, Mt Wilson trail, and Mt Wilson Rd (just recently reopened after years (4 or 5, I think) of closure due to landslide) might remain open. None of these lead to Brown Mountain.

I’m basically in shock. I have no idea how I’ll make it through the year.

I guess now would be a good time to overhaul every centimeter of “Metamorphosis.” I’ve certainly got the time…